


When You're High I'll Take the Low (You can Ebb and I can Flow)

by rainbow_shirbert



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, Sickfic, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26001568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbow_shirbert/pseuds/rainbow_shirbert
Summary: Gilbert has been sick for a couple of days now and Anne was really worried for him. More worried for him than she'd like to be, actually. It was taking a toll on her, but she didn't want to say anything because Gilbert was sick for God's sake, so it would be ridiculous for her to feel like she needs someone to talk to. When Gilbert passes out during the school day, what will Anne do?
Relationships: Diana Barry & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Ruby Gillis & Anne Shirley, Tillie Boulter & Anne Shirley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	When You're High I'll Take the Low (You can Ebb and I can Flow)

Anne was not sick. She wasn’t. No, she wasn’t lying to herself; she knew exactly why cold and sweaty, and her stomach hurt, and she felt like she was about to throw up, and it wasn’t because she was sick. It was because Gilbert was sick. 

He had been sick for the past couple of days, and it was making Anne feel sick. No, she didn’t catch whatever bug he had either, it was purely anxiety and worry for the boy she loved. In a messed up sort of way, it was her body’s way of displaying how much she cared about him. However, no one else could see that because there was no way in hell she was going to utter a single word to any of her friends about how she was feeling because her brain just wouldn’t let her. Anne just kept thinking about how terrible Gilbert must feel, so it would be completely ridiculous for her to even think about mentioning any negative emotions (or physical side effects of said emotions) to anyone but her diary. Whatever she might say would probably come off as dramatic and self-pitying anyways. 

Anne was worried when she saw him, and worried when she didn’t see him. When she saw Gilbert looking all pale and sweaty in english class BOOM, bad stomach ache. Then when he left fifteen minutes into class, and didn’t come back WHAM, overbearing nausea. It's only been a couple of days of this, but at the same time, it’s already been several days of this. 

There was only one way Anne could describe how she was feeling, with math (Odd that normally she was good with words, not numbers, but her brain was so fried with anxiety, describing things in a mechanical way felt easier). 

Her emotions were normally like a sinusoidal graph. They would go up and down, sometimes a little far from the midline, but they would always come back to it. Her feelings, and mental state in general, would always return to a state of normalcy. To use an equation to describe it, her emotions were like the graph of y=sin(x). 

These past couple of days, the line that graphed her emotions hardly returned to the midline, if ever. This week, if she were to graph her emotions, it would look more like the graph, y=-9sin(0.3x)+3cos(0.9x)-14. Yup, while figuring that out, she really felt like she was going insane. If Gilbert didn’t get better soon, this emotional burnout would not be fun to deal with.

So here Anne was, sitting in history class trying to look like she was paying attention to her teacher’s lecture on the Great Depression. Dr. Ally had already gotten at least five things wrong, and normally Anne would enjoy looking over at Diana and shaking her head as they silently corrected their dumbass teacher, but Anne could only focus on two things: worrying about Gilbert, and making sure there was a clear spot on the floor in case she tossed her cookies. 

Anne looked over at Gilbert who was clutching his stomach and looked very pale. As the teacher was pulling up some video for them to watch, Anne turned towards Gilbert and said,”Gilbert, are you alright?” she gulped as she finished her statement.

Gilbert screwed his eyes shut and nodded,”Mmhmm.”

That didn’t convince her one bit. Maybe thirty seconds later, Gilbert raised his hand,”May I use the bathroom.” their teacher excused him. Anne paid close attention to him as he walked to the door with his left arm wrapped around his midsection, and his teeth biting down on the knuckles of his right hand. Right before he exited the room, he paused, bent over the trash can, and in the split second before he lost his breakfast, Anne heard Diana tell her,”Don’t look.” but Anne couldn’t “not look”. Her eyes wouldn’t allow for that. 

The teacher looked over at the ordeal without a care in the world and said,”Anne, please take Gilbert to the nurse’s office.” Of course, she obeyed, and started to walk him to the nurse's office. They were not even ten feet away from the classroom when Anne heard him say a faint,”...Anne?” as he swayed.

“Yes, Gilbert? What’s wrong?”

Before he could respond, he passed out, and he would have hit the floor if Anne didn’t catch him. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, she moved him so that he was sitting up against the wall next to the classroom they just walked out of (this must be what it feels like when a mother can lift a car to save her child). Anne rushed back inside right after she made sure Gilbert wouldn’t fall over, worried that he might throw up.

“Dr. Ally, Gilbert just passed out in the hallway!” Anne had the right to disrupt the class no matter how much her teacher hated it when people did that. This was Gilbert she was talking about, damnit.

“Oh no! Class, you guys can leave five minutes early. Don’t forget to do the reading for tonight!” she said, and walked over to Anne. 

Anne showed her Gilbert, unconscious, up against a locker. 

“Alright,” Dr. Ally began,”I’ll go get the nurse because she’s at the elementary school right now. Can you get him inside the classroom and stay with him? Everyone’s gonna be let out for lunch in a minute or two and I don’t want to create a spectacle.”

“Sure.” Anne said as she lifted him and brought him into the classroom. She sat him down with his back against the wall.

Dr. Ally looked at her strangely, then went to go get the nurse. 

Anne was trying to keep her mind busy so as to not freak out. She pulled the trash can next to Gilbert, just in case, got her water bottle for him too, and put her hand on his forehead to check if he had a fever. He did, but it wasn’t too high. Sadly, this took all of fifteen seconds, and Anne couldn’t stop herself from ruminating on everything that could go wrong.

“What if he does have a high fever, and I just can’t tell? What if I accidentally hit his head on the wall and gave him a concussion, and I don’t even know? What if the nurse isn’t there? Why did he pass out? Was he just dehydrated? Was it something worse-”

Anne grabbed the trash can for herself, and threw up. Then, she placed it back down, and proceeded like nothing happened. She couldn’t afford to worry about herself right now, Gilbert was unwell. 

After a couple of minutes, Gilbert regained consciousness. He grumbled something.

“Gilbert? Are you ok?” Anne was still incredibly worried, but now there was some relief.

“What...what happened?”

“You passed out.” did he seriously not remember?

“Well ya, I remember that. I mean… I thought we were in the hallway? Did I pass out in the middle of class?”

Phew. “No, no, you didn’t. We were in the hall, you’re right.”

“Then how did I get here?”

Anne’s face turned red.” Oh. Well I umm, brought you here.” she refrained from using the word “carried.”

Gilbert’s face became red, but Anne told herself that it was just the fever.”Oh...thanks.”

“Mmhmm.” Anne said, rubbing the back of her neck.”How are you feeling.”

“Like shit.” he admitted, and they both giggled for a brief moment. 

“I don’t wanna sound rude,” Anne started,” but why the hell did you come to school today?”

“If I miss one day I’m gonna have to scramble to catch up on everything, and also Anne, I don’t wanna sound rude, but I have a feeling you wouldn’t have stayed home either.”

“Touche.” they both chuckled again, but Gilbert’s face immediately dropped. He hoisted himself up on his knees, and threw up yet again. Anne wanted to rub his back, but she didn’t want to make things weird. 

Once, Gilbert sat back down, he pressed his palm to his forehead.

Anne tapped him on the shoulder, and handed him her water bottle.

He shook his head lightly,”No, I don’t wanna get you sick.”

Anne was planning on letting him drink from his water bottle and just drinking from the water fountain for the rest of the day, but she didn’t know how to tell Gilbert this without telling him how she had thought about this. 

Ane shrugged,”Just waterfall from it, I’ll be fine.” 

“Thanks, Anne.” he all but whispered. 

“No problem.”

Gilbert drank a quarter of Anne’s water bottle, and handed it back to her.

“Dr. Ally went to get the nurse so they’ll both be here soon.”

“Wow, she didn’t just get up and leave? I guess she does have emotions.”

They sat in silence for a minute or so.

Gilbert rubbed his eyes,”I’m so tired.” he was half asleep as he leaned his head on Anne’s shoulder.

“Sleep. I’ll wake you up when they get back.”as he fell asleep, Anne took a couple deep breathes

Once Anne heard Dr. Ally’s voice in the hallway, she woke Gilbert up. He woke up dazed and confused, and when he realized he was leaning on Anne the entire time, he was a little embarrassed. Before he could apologize, the school nurse was in front of him.

“Thank you Anne, you may go to lunch now.” Dr. Ally said. 

Anne didn’t want to leave Gilbert's side, but she knew she had no choice.

As she left the classroom, she turned to him and said,”Feel better.” and waved goodbye

When Anne got to lunch, Ruby asked,”Where were you, lunch started like ten minutes ago? Diana told us that Gilbert passed out”

“He did, and Dr. Ally asked me to stay with him while she got the nurse.”

“Is he ok?!” Tillie asked.

“He’ll be fine.”

“What happened?” Ruby asked.

“Well, he wasn’t feeling well, and he threw up in class. Then I was walking him to the nurse, and he passed out.. I stayed with him in Dr. Ally’s classroom while she got the nurse, and at some point he woke up and threw up again. I got him to drink some water, and then he fell asleep again. I woke him up when the nurse came, and now...here I am.”

“Are you alright, Anne?” Diana asked. The three of them were looking at her with concern.

“Of course I’m fine. I’m not the one who passed out.”

“Well ya, but we know you really care about him.” Tillie said.

“I’m alright.”

Diana looked at her with skepticism. Ruby asked,”Where’s your lunchbox?”

“In my locker.”

“Why don’t you go get it.”

“I can’t eat anything. I’ll probably just throw up again.”

“Again?! Diana exclaimed. 

Anne sighed,”While Gilbert was unconscious, I threw up, but I’m not sick, it was just anxiousness.” Anxiousness she said. Anne never said that it was anxiety because she didn’t have a diagnosed anxiety issue, so she felt like she shouldn’t say,”it was just anxiety.” It was just another part of her fear that everyone around her would think she’s being dramatic. 

Anne’s friends comforted her, and told her that she should take things easy. Anne needed to stop worrying that her friends would turn on her just like the kids in the orphanage. She has the best friends she could have hoped for. 

Gilbert didn’t come back to school until monday. Anne was relieved to see him, but there was still a knot in her stomach. She went up to him at his locker.

“Hey Gilbert, are you feeling better?” she asked.

“Yeah, for the most part. Thanks for asking.”

**Author's Note:**

> So the majority of this story is made up, but there are a few parts to it that did actually happen. The very first part where I describe how Anne is feeling both physically and emotionally due to Gilbert being sick is totally how I felt when the guy I like was sick, and my history teacher does make a lot of mistakes. Then I wrote the main plot of the fic, which did not actually happen. My friend telling me,"Don't look" as he throws up, happened but not in class. Getting a very not confident "Mmhmm" for how are you feeling happened, but also not in class. And finally, that last scene did happen when he came back to school. I also did not tell anyone that I was worried for him. They found out, but not like how they did in this fic. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed. Please leave a kudos or comment if you liked it!


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